The H.W. Wilson Company - New York, Dublin
 
 
 

Search for More Databases  Biography Reference Bank

   
 

 

Illustrations from:
Art Museum Image Gallery

    

Biography Reference Bank is H.W. Wilson’s ultimate resource for libraries looking for a single complete biographical database for patrons of all ages and interests. The database includes the complete content of all these separate databases:

  • Current Biography

  • Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated

  • World Authors

  • Junior Authors and Illustrators

  • Biography Index: 1984-present

It also features the contents of other Wilson biographical works, over 80,000 licensed profiles from major reference publishers, and links to thousands of citations, articles, and full-text biographical articles from every Wilson databases.

Comparing biography resources?
Other biographical resources might promise coverage of many thousands of individuals, but they often deliver little more than vital statistics. Our biographical profiles are either written in-house by experienced biographers or taken from trusted biography reference sources. Most are more than 1,500 words in length, and they present the rich, narrative life stories that researchers expect to see.

For researchers who want more than just biographical profiles, Biography Reference Bank also includes links to feature articles, interviews, essays, book reviews, performance reviews, speeches, obituaries, and other biographical content from Wilson databases.

The scope and variety of Biography Reference Bank makes it an invaluable tool for researchers in any discipline, as well patrons working in multidisciplinary fields, such as women’s studies, cultural studies, media studies, and more.

Biography Reference Bank brings your patrons

  • Coverage of 660,700 individuals.

  • Links to 380,000+ related full-text articles, as well as abstracts and images from thousands of periodicals covered by other Wilson databases, for the most current coverage of an individual’s life and work.

  • Over 36,000 images—with more added all the time—bringing profiles to life.

  • More color photos than you’ll find in any competing biography database.

  • A constantly expanding store of information with annual additions, licensed profiles from other leading publishers, and daily updates to periodicals coverage.

  • Book review excerpts from Wilson’s Book Review Digest Plus at no additional cost.

In addition to unparalleled content, Biography Reference Bank also delivers all the unique benefits of WilsonWeb

  • Precision searching by name, profession, place of origin, gender, ethnicity, birth/death dates, titles of works, or keywords.

  • ReadSpeaker (Text-to-Speech) - convert full-text articles into audio files, for immediate listening or downloading to iPods and other portable devices.

  • Language Translations.

  • "My WilsonWeb" customization.

  • Content Discovery Keys—highlighting recommended subjects within search results encourages further exploration.

  • All-Smart Search—subject-specific search fields ensure pinpoint accuracy in searching.

 


Source List for Biography Reference Bank
 

Biography Reference Bank is the "ultimate" biographical database from Wilson, encompassing all the trusted Wilson resources including Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated, Current Biography, the Junior Authors & Illustrators Series, the Wilson biographical series on world artists, authors, composers, songwriters, musicians, film directors, plus more than 80,000 profiles licensed from the high-quality publishers listed below. In addition to this list, Biography Reference Bank contains links to every article on any individual–full text articles, abstracts, book review excerpts, and more–from the thousands of periodicals covered by other Wilson databases.

 

H.W. Wilson
American Authors 1600-1900
American Composers Today
American Reformers
American Songwriters
Authors Today & Yesterday
British Authors Before 1800
British Authors of the 19th Century
Composers of Today, 2nd Edition
Composers of Yesterday
Composers since 1900
Composers since 1900 1st Supplement
Current Biography 1940-Present (all vols. from 1940-Present)
Current Biography International Yearbook (all vols.)
European Authors 1000-1900
European Composers of Today
Great Composers 1300-1900
Greek and Latin Authors 800 B.C.-A.D. 1000
Junior Authors & Illustrators Series, 9 vols.
Leaders of the Information Age
Living Musicians
Living Musicians 1st Supplement
Musicians since 1900
Nobel Prize Winners
Nobel Prize Winners Supplement 1987-2001 (3 vols.)
Old Worlds to New
Popular American Composers
Popular American Composers 1st Supplement
Spanish American Authors
World Artists 1950-1980
World Artists 1980-1990
World Authors 1900-1950
World Authors 1950-1970
World Authors 1970-1975
World Authors 1975-1980
World Authors 1980-1985
World Authors 1985-1990
World Authors 1995-2000
World Film Directors, 2 vols.
World Musicians

 

Chambers Harrap
Chambers Biographies

Congressional Directory
Selected biographical information and contact details

Fitzroy Dearborn
Computer Pioneers
Dictionary of Woman Artists, 2 vols.
Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The 19th Century
Encyclopedia of Interior Design, 2 vols.
Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature
Encyclopedia of Mexico
Encyclopedia of Television
Encyclopedia of the Essay
Encyclopedia of the Novel, 2 vols.
International Dictionary of Black Composers, 2 vols.
Reader's Guide to Russian Literature
Who's Who in British History, 2 vols.

Garland Publishing
African American Women: A Biographical Dictionary
European Immigrant Women in the United States
Handbook of American Women's History
Hollywood Songsters: A Biographical Dictionary
Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary
North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century
Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary
Women Writers of Great Britain and Europe

Greenwood
Biographical Dictionary of American & Canadian Environmentalists
Biographical Dictionary of American Newspaper Columnists
Biographical Dictionary of Christian Theologians
Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders, 2 vols.
Biographical Dictionary of Literary Influences
Biographical Dictionary of Modern American Educators
Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists
Biographical Dictionary of Public Administration
Biographical Dictionary of the Union
Biographical Dictionary of U.S. Secretaries of Treasury, 1789-1995
Biographical Dictionary of WWII Generals & Flag Officers
Biographical Directory of the U.S. Executive Branch, 1774-1989
Brainard's Biographies of American Musicians
Dictionary of American Religious Biography

Harvard University Press
Notable American Women, 4 vols.

Helicon
Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Biography

Houghton Mifflin
Encyclopedia of North American Indians
The Great American History Fact-Finder
The Reader's Companion to Military History
Who's Who of Sports Champions

James Clarke & Co.
Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
Encyclopedia of the Early Church

Oryx
African American Political & Governmental Leaders
African Americans and Civil Rights, from 1619 to the Present
Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century
Encyclopedia of Religion in American Politics
Encyclopedia of Religious Broadcasting
Encyclopedia of Television News
Encyclopedia of Women & Sports in America
Encyclopedia of Women in American Politics
Lives and Legacies: Scientists, Mathematicians & Inventors
Outstanding Women Athletes
Storytelling Encyclopedia
Who's Who of Pulitzer Prize Winners

Oxford Publishing, Ltd.
A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion
A Dictionary of Architecture
A Dictionary of Astronomy

A Dictionary of Biology
A Dictionary of British History
A Dictionary of Buddhism
A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
A Dictionary of Chemistry
A Dictionary of Contemporary World History
A Dictionary of Earth Sciences
A Dictionary of Ecology
A Dictionary of English Folklore
A Dictionary of Physics
A Dictionary of Plant Sciences
A Dictionary of Political Biography
A Dictionary of Scientists
A Dictionary of Shakespeare
A Dictionary of Sociology
A Dictionary of the Bible
The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature
The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature
The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature
The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
The Oxford Companion to British History
The Oxford Companion to English Literature
The Oxford Companion to Music
The Oxford Companion to Philosophy
The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare
The Oxford Companion to The Earth
The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English
The Oxford Companion to Western Art
The Oxford Dictionary of Dance
The Oxford Dictionary of Popes
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints

Oxford University Press
Encyclopedia of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 4 vols.
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, 20 vols.
Grove Dictionary of Art, 44 vols.
Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, 2nd Edition, 23 vols.
New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 4 vols.
New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 4 vols.
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics & the Law, 2 vols.

 

 

Note: All the profiles from the Wilson titles listed above are included in Biography Reference Bank. Profiles licensed from other publishers include a selected list from the titles noted.

Latest Review
"Compared to its competitors, BRB is one of the front-runners as a biographical reference resource….The user interface is pleasing, with pronunciation keys and alternate name cross-references available in some full records….This is a valuable product with large amounts of information….I found no major omissions and was amazed at some of the obscure results I did find."
The Charleston Advisor
(Read more)
 

More Reviews

Library Journal
Choice
Reference Books Bulletin
School Library Journal
Net Connect 
 
Major Upgrade!
Major Upgrade for Wilson's Award-Winning Biography Reference Bank
 
Also of Interest
Biography Reference Bank Select Edition
Biography Index: 1984 to Present
Biography Index: Past and Present
Biography Index Retrospective: 1946-1983
Current Biography Illustrated
Current Issues: Reference Shelf Plus
Junior Authors & Illustrators
Readers' Guide Full Text
Wilson OmniFile Full Text
World Authors 800 B.C. to Present

Pricing Information

Database
License
Agreement

WilsonWeb
Database Documentation

 

 

 

H.W. Wilson Home Page  
    © 2010 The HW Wilson Company®  800-367-6770 / 718-588-8400

    950 University Avenue, Bronx, New York 10452       Privacy Policy